BSAVA CLIENT HANDOUTS:

BEHAVIOUR SERIES

Ladder of Aggression
Kendal Shepherd

Ladder of Aggression
How a dog reacts to stress or a threat can be represented as a series of
ascending steps on a ladder. These gestures are responses to an escalation
of perceived threat only and are NOT expressions of a ‘submissive’ or
‘dominant’ state. The choice of strategy (whether to escalate to a bite or not)
will depend on the circumstances (time, target, interactions, previous
experience) and on the severity of any underlying physical disease. Pain
frequently converts a ‘flight’ response to ‘fight’.

Biting

Snapping

Growling

Stiffening up, staring

Lying down, leg up

Standing crouched,
tail tucked under

Creeping, ears back

Walking away

Turning body away,

sitting, pawing

Turning head away

Yawning, blinking,
nose licking

© BSAVA 2009
BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioural Medicine, 2nd edition